Medicine for the Heart
by Shelbey
Summary: Yashamaru had once told him, Love is the only medicine for a wound of the heart. He was right. He had been right all along. GaaraxOC Rated PG13 for bad language and blood. Please R&R! Thanks for 8000 hits!
1. Prologue

**Title**: Medicine for the Heart

**Author**: Hitachiin Hikaru

**Fandom**: Naruto

**Rating**: "T" for blood and bad language

**Genre**: Romance/Action/Adventure

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any part of the Naruto, including characters, cities, towns, scenarios, titles, or anything else about it that you can think of. I just want to express my creative intent with this fic. But I do own Masao, Kenji, Ryuki, Sorakage, and Hikarigakure so there :b.

**Summary**: Prequel to Shining on Your World. Yashamaru had once told him that love was the only medicine for a wound of the heart. He had been right. He had been right all along. R&R Please GaaraxOC Prequel to Shining on Your World

**A/N**: This is my first fanfiction so go easy one me please! Keep flames to constructive criticism please. All mean flames will be used for Akamaru's litter.

Foreword

A 'precious person' was something Yashamaru had always said he needed. And he had believed him until the man began to act exactly like everybody else. Then he killed him. He killed him, one of two who had treated him with inhuman kindness, considered him to be equal, something other than a monster. That is how he earned his existence; by taking it from other people. It was all he knew.

He lived it.

Breathed it.

Obeyed it.

Loved it.

He, Gaara of the Sand, the village's trump card, their pièce de resistance, their main attraction; he, Gaara the Destroyer, who could kill people and ruin lives without a second-thought, with no morals or even **feelings** to pull him down; he, Gaara the Monster, labeled so at birth for his killer inner nature that escapes when his eyes close in sleep; he, Gaara the Devil, the most hated, most feared, most demonic man in the Village Hidden in the Sand, was not accepted.

But, to his sister, Temari, he was Gaara. Gaara her friend. Gaara her ally. Gaara her brother.

She had turned her back on the world to stand by his side and exclaim he was no monster, no demon like they all believed. He was human. He had morals, feelings and a pure heart and soul his fiendish alter ego clouded with evil. She told them to ignore the label, ignore prejudice, and give her brother the love and life he had been stripped of at a young age but deserved more than anyone.

Gaara had finally understood what it meant to love someone. He loved his sister with all his heart. But, deep down, he felt an overwhelming emptiness eating away at all the holes that Temari had not filled. He could not place it, but something imperative lacked in his chest; something he never owned but knew he lost.

He kept it to himself however, not even confiding in his understanding sister, because he did not even comprehend the feeling fully himself. The pain grew worse with passing time until, finally, his nightmares reflected it. Wide awake horrors that left him screaming in cold sweat and feeling the vacant loneliness deep in his soul until Temari burst into his room at the sound of his hellish shrieks to comfort his pain.

Temari would question him, softly, sweetly, and console him in a tone that reminded him so much of their mother. A gentle, but firm voice that revealed a tender heart that was normally obscured by her tough façade. Gaara would say nothing; only let the soothing sound of voice and the warmth of her arm across his shoulder calm him down. After he quieted, he would roughly tell her to leave, and she would do so knowing that he needed to be alone. She knew everything about him yet nothing at all.

Temari knew he felt pain but didn't know the depth of it; starting out as a sharp pinprick of annoyance until it crecendoed into massive proportions, threatening to crush him. His sister knew he had a profound seclusion that she could not cure; yet she could not fully understand the tearing, crumbling, and overwhelming agony it created inside of him.

She didn't know, **couldn't** know, how much he needed her, and how much more he needed on top of that. The scope of his understanding was unable to handle it, and it hurt his head to try and dwell on it.

On the pain.

The loneliness.

The agony.

The need.

The want.

The crushing sensation deep in his chest.

She didn't know, and he couldn't bear to burden her with worry for him; the thought of lies and betrayal from her still a minute, improbable possibility burrowed painfully in the back of his mind. A feeling that if he burdened her too much, she would leave him. He knew it was selfish of him, but he just couldn't lose Temari. It might kill him.

Besides, her worry was unnecessary. Her love was enough; her pity went unneeded.

For all the emotions Gaara felt plaguing him, he still didn't know what else he needed. What else he wanted. What would fill the gap in his heart only half completed when Temari truly became his sister.

He didn't try to think on it, but his Inner Demon, It, would rile up in a crazed lust for passion.

_Passion?_

Gaara had no idea what It set Its sight on, but the knew by the nature It lived by, whatever it wanted couldn't be good.

Which dragged him, perplexed, back to square one. His precious person quota had been filled, Temari swore always to stand by his side, so what more could he need? What would ease his suffering?

Nothing came to mind. Nothing at all. No hints, no aids, even It stayed quiet, squirming slightly in a thirst for blood. Ignoring the feeling that he normally would have quenched in a heartbeat, Gaara continued to ponder.

Maybe… maybe he could question his sister. They could figure it out together.

_Together…_

Gaara almost smiled. _Yes… together._


	2. The Kunoichi Masao

Chapter One: The Kunoichi Masao

He stood up from his neat bed, never once falling asleep nor marring the perfectly set sheets. His heavily blackened eyes closed for a moment then opened to reveal faultlessly colored pale blue orbs that crossed the room lazily to his bureau. The room was small, consisting only of a bed, a small lamp and nightstand, and a wardrobe. His walls were a bare white; unlike his sister who had hers painted forest green that he felt matched her eyes perfectly.

Kankurou slept in the room to the left of his and Temari in the room across. It was a three bedroom apartment they shared, and often had visits from their sensei when he had a mission for them to complete. He had been coming around more and more often lately due to the war. Even though he had found more to his existence with his sister, he trained as a shinobi still dutifully obliged to fight for his country.

Standing before the dresser he stripped down to his black boxers and sifted through the clothes that had been washed by Temari the night before. Gaara wore the same thing all the time, so Temari made sure to keep that particular outfit clean for him. He pulled a netted shirt on and over it a pair of black pants and a black short sleeved shirt that revealed the slightly longer sleeves of the fishnet. He pulled a white and a tan colored sash on over his head and strapped a rough surfaced gourd to the belts connected to the tan sash.

"Gaara!" Temari's husky but distinctly feminine voice called to him from behind his shut door. "Breakfast! But I have to warn you, Kankurou made it!"

Gaara was prepared to leave his room and join them (join Temari at least; she was the only one who didn't have a problem eating in the presence of a monster) but Kankurou's voice made him stop. "Why are you always so laid back with him?" Anger.

"What do you mean!" Impatience.

"He's a monster Temari! He's dangerous! Yet here you are **joking** with him like he's—"

"Human?" she cut him off coolly.

He paused. "…Yes."

A loud bang sounded and Kankurou gasped. She had crashed her battle fan into the ground, leaving an angry indent. "And why shouldn't I? He's human just like you and me, only cursed with a different destiny!" She examined his face slowly. "You're painted like a freak show but you don't see me calling you inhuman do you?"

A clanking sound erupted from the kitchen as ceramic hit ceramic and then steel. She stomped furiously down the hallway and, balancing the tray on one hand, knocked softly on his door. "Gaara?" He strode forward and opened his door a crack to see her smiling slightly, although her eyes still held traces of anger. "Hey, um, mind if I eat in here with you?" Her tray held two plates of over cooked eggs and over jellied toast. Two glasses of milk were poised beside them.

He shook his head no, faintly unsure of himself, and moved out of the way to let her into the room. Closing the door behind her, he sat across from her and started his breakfast.

Silence.

Gaara had always liked it better when they sat together quietly. It seemed to bond them better than any conversation could.

Temari watched him eat his food politely and smiled when she saw his eyes flicker for a moment to the burnt underside of the eggs, a look of exasperation making an entrance ephemerally across his eyes. "Gaara, we're going to be on the front lines today. Just thought I'd give you the heads up." He nodded slightly, his eyes still on his breakfast.

That was all the response she'd expected from him, but he surprised her by starting an authentic conversation. "Temari, I want to talk to you about something."

Gaara looked up to see her expression and saw she was open and ready for anything he wanted to ask. He knit his brow, causing his eyes to look wider and more childlike. Suddenly he realized he never had an actual conversation with Temari. Usually it was just nods or training advice. Now, for the first time, he was going to attempt an actual in-depth conversation with her. He had nothing to go by, nothing to build off of, so he would have to wing this one.

Just as he started to speak, he sensed Kankurou lurking by the closed door, eavesdropping. Annoyed, he turned back to his beloved sister and told her, "Never mind." He expected her to press for more, but when he glanced at her he saw her expression was clear and understanding.

Unexpectedly, Kankurou burst open the door. His face was serious and his Crow sat waiting on his back. "We have to leave now. They need our help sooner than expected." Temari leapt up to follow the already exiting Gaara, leaving the dishes where they lay.

…**:oOo:…**

The battlefield. This is where Gaara truly felt that he could lose himself. Well… not completely lose himself, but not be degraded for the horror that he is. His lack of emotions proved essential on the battlefield. His job is to kill without regret, and he does it well. No one even gave him a good work out, not since fighting Uchiha Sasuke.

There were all types of shinobi: male, female, stocky, skinny, skilled, and some less so. Any that obstructed his path were eliminated, and the crimson liquid that spilled everywhere lured the demon within with its alluring smell. He suppressed it, for if it got loose terrible things could happen. He wasn't worried about anyone else, only that he might hurt Temari.

A three small shuriken dashed towards his head and he moved barely in time to dodge them. Whoever had thrown them had remarkable skill. Two kunai knives flew to the side, the sand pouring from his gourd saw to that; his mother's protection. The ninja that threw them was a kunoichi, no older than he. She had long maroon hair pulled back into a long pony tail running down her back and a hitai-ate headband around her thigh.

Suddenly, something Gaara did not intend when he saw her face, his heart skipped a beat. Confusion rippled through him like wildfire. She had striking grey eyes, like the sea before a storm. When they met with his pastel ones, they filled with a powerful resentment unlike anything he'd ever seen. Raising her hands into a sign he didn't recognize, she muttered something under her breath.

The war vanished around him and a strange vision ran through his mind. It was another from years ago. He had been new to missions, but supremely prose. He made no mistakes. Temari, he, and Kankurou were the perfect team. This memory had been recalled from the recesses of his mind, where he put reminiscences he didn't find important.

This particular mission had called upon them to stop a group of enemy shinobi from attacking their village. They had massacred the entire troupe without vacillation. An individual was pointed out, kneeling at his feet with his hands clasped before him as if praying. A man with the same stormy eyes as the kunoichi. _My brother_ a sad, velvety voice explained.

"Gaara!" A voice broke through the genjutsu and he was back on the battle field. Lucky for him, his sand had been protecting him from any and all enemy attackers from harming him. The kunoichi appeared before him, fuuma shuriken in hand, murder on her mind. The sand had barely made it in time to stop her. She slid to the side and leapt back up, disappearing from view. His eyes opened wide. He couldn't even sense her presence any where.

Then, he heard a small sound of sandals on the ground behind him and turned to see her vanish again. She began to toy with him, giving him subtle hints to her whereabouts only to disappear the moment he faced her. Gaara saw her make her way past his sand barricade and felt her knock him to the ground. She was straddling his chest with her armed left hand pushing metal against his throat. She breathed heavily, the exertion of her speed and exponential use of chakra catching up to her.

Their eyes met and the kunoichi's widened in surprise. "No…" she whispered. Gaara struggled with himself, unable to shove her away. Her face scrunched up in confusion. "You can't be… the same boy…" The kunai knife against his skin began to shake, and then her entire body began to shiver. "They said… said you were a monster. A demon out of Hell!" She screamed that last part, as if trying to convince herself of something. Gaara blinked, wondering what she was talking about, still unable to move. "I should kill you!" She placed both hands on the kunai and pressed it harder to his throat. It squirmed excitedly for some reason he couldn't understand. "But when I look into your eyes, I don't see a monster. I see only a boy…" Her resolve for murder began to fade; he could see it reflected on her face. "They called you Gaara the Demon, but I can only discern Gaara. Just Gaara. Why is that?"

She dropped the knife to the sand, and lowered one trembling hand to his face, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I can't kill you," she whispered.

Now's your chance, his instinct told him, Kill her! Back in his right mind, he raised his hand and said, "Sabakukyu! The Coffin of Crushing Sand!" His sand encased her and began to squeeze, starting at her ankles and rising to her head.

"I came to murder the monster," she whispered, her hand lifting from his forehead as his jutsu pulled her away. "But I can't. I have nothing else to do with my life so ending it here and now is nothing…" She was practically begging him to kill her.

There was no trace of fear, or hate, in her eyes. Only a subtle gratefulness and a friendly expression. "Thank you Gaara…" Her words shocked him and he could feel his determination start to waver. Should he kill her? The grains engulfed her face, and the tears were lost to the sand.

He began to question himself.

Second guessing.

Hesitating.

Things he's never done before. He could still feel the warmth of her hand on his forehead. The kindness in her eyes. The cool drip of tears on his face.

Something else struck him. She did not accept that he was a monster. Couldn't… wouldn't… All she called him was Gaara. Even though he killed her brother, she wouldn't hold it against him. He couldn't understand why.

"Gaara. Just Gaara."

_Why?_

"I don't see a monster."

_But why!_

"I can't kill you."

_WHY!_

"Thank you, Gaara."

_Aargh!_

A shrill scream erupted from the mass of sand in front of him and, before he knew what he was doing, released her from the coffin. As the sand fell away, she collapsed to the ground. Her body was wrecked and crimson blood dripped everywhere. She remained alive, however. Nothing that had been damaged could kill her. This strange kunoichi would live.

Gaara stood and, repairing the gourd that had crumpled to sand when she knocked him to his back, started a new line of enemies to slaughter. "Masao," a rough voice choked out. He turned to see a male shinobi clad in black and red picking her up and, pushing all the chakra into his legs, ran.

So her name… was Masao…


	3. A Discussion with His Sister

Chapter 2: Discussion with his Sister

Nighttime had fallen and the three of them returned home after a difficult day of warfare. Temari and Kankurou ate their dinner while Gaara went straight to his room to ponder. Confusion still erupted in his mind. Confusion, surprise, and… fear?

Masao had instilled in him what he had been unable to make her feel. Fear.

But fear of what? He asked himself.

_Fear that everything you thought the world to be was wrong. Fear that you were wrong. Fear that the world may have others out there that care. Could see past all of it. Fear of something you didn't understand._

"Gaara?"

He looked up at his older sister who stood in the doorway of his room. She adorned a dark blue tank top and shorts and her hair dripped with water from a recent shower. Temari looked at him expressionlessly.

"May I come in?" she asked. That was another thing that separated her from the rest of the cruel world. Anyone else would have barged in, uncaring about how **he** felt about it, but she waits, diplomatically, for him to allow her entry. His blacked eyes met hers, hers full of compassion and honesty, and jerked his head in a nod.

Every time he made contact with Temari, he felt the scars on his heart healing, little by little. Yashamaru had been right about love being the only medicine for a wound of the heart. It worked in small amounts, but it did indeed work. There was still a long way to go though, for his wounds were deep and his scars many. And some would never heal.

She sat next to him on the bed, her hands in her lap. A palpable, but comfortable, silence overtook them. They sat like that for awhile, until Temari broke it by asking, "You wanted to tell me something this morning?" She watched him carefully as his pale blue eyes stared blankly forward at the white wall. Gaara's face was emotionless. He then turned to look at her. Temari smiled softly at her brother, urging him to tell her. That he could trust her.

He faced the wall again and the golden-haired girl sighed. "If you're not going to say, may I ask you something?" Gaara glanced up at her, waiting. "What happened during the fight with that kunoichi? You froze." His eyes narrowed in anger, not at her, but at himself.

"I don't know," he replied uncertainly. "She used some sort of genjutsu on me to make me see someone we killed. It was our first mission, you remember? We killed her brother." Temari nodded slowly. "She had come to avenge his death with my death." His eyes thinned even more, making them look like thick black lines drawn on his face. "I couldn't fight her off when she tackled me to the ground."

"I can only discern Gaara. Just Gaara. Why is that?" Her words resounded in his mind, and that and the tenderness in her eyes made his head throb painfully. He clutched at his vermillion hair with his long pale fingers and choked out a strangled yell.

"Gaara!" Temari called worriedly.

"I see a boy. Just a boy…" Another scream escaped his throat and his sister hugged him close, stroking his crimson hair. "Calm down Gaara! Please, calm down!" Her face smiled in his mind's eye.

"I don't see a monster." A spasm jerked his body around, but Temari didn't let him go.

"You can't be the same one" The look in her eyes when she absorbed his own. Her broken, bloody body on the ground. Her hand on his forehead. It squirming excitedly.

Suddenly, he was back to Earth in the warm arms of his sister. She hummed a familiar, long lost melody in his ear, one their mother used to sing when she was alive. The tune calmed him down, stopped his spasms, and cleared his vision. "Feel better?" she questioned. He made no reply. "Do you want to finish or wait until some other time?"

Temari saw that his face was emotionless, as if he had not just been screaming bloody-murder for the past three or so minutes. He hid his weakness, whatever it was, well from even her. It made her feel slightly uneasy.

For the first time, Gaara felt weak. Not physically or mentally, but emotionally. It was the most trying feeling he's ever had. He slid away from Temari and grasped his elbows. He wanted to scream again; he wanted to run until he became exhausted to the point of death; he wanted to kill something. His fist grasped tightly against his chest.

"GAARA!" Temari cried out in pain. He glanced up, and saw with wide eyes that in his rage his mother's sand had begun to press upon her forcefully. He loosened his fist and she fell to the ground, gasping for air. He didn't mean to do it, but didn't say. She already knew.

He said nothing to her, but Temari had not expected him to. She sat back upon the bed like nothing had happened and watched him somberly. He began unexpectedly, startling her, "She was like you sister. She refused to call me a monster. She said… all she saw was Gaara. Just Gaara." He met her eyes. "Tell, me why did she say that? I don't understand"

Temari bit her lip. He couldn't understand; so used to the scorn and hate he had been shown in the village. He had no idea there were others out there that could be caring. "Gaara," she began tentatively. "There are other kind people out there. People like me. You just have yet to meet them"

He stared long and hard at her. "Kind people," he repeated. She smiled. "Temari, do people like her… have some sort of hold that makes it hard to stop thinking about them?" She blinked, and slid closer to her brother, knitting her brow.

"What do you mean?" Gaara made no reply. Obviously not. There was something about Masao that kept her in his mind. It seemed to find her appealing, but he didn't know at all what It meant. His head throbbed again and a small groan escaped him.

They sat there for a long while, watching the shadows display odd patterns on the walls and ceiling, saying nothing. Finally, without a word, Temari stood up and stretched. She left his room with a friendly wave and entered hers across the hall. "'Night," she called quietly to him.

"Good-night sister," he thought to himself, not saying aloud.


	4. Temari VS Kankurou

Chapter 3: Temari VS Kankurou and the Second Meeting of Masao

"Nothing to do today?"

The morning had started off as normal; early rising, Kankurou's mediocre cooking, and waiting for their sensei to come tell them what to do. Temari sat at the kitchen table, secretly sketching out Gaara as he stood with crossed arms glaring out the window. Kankurou continued to scarf down the eggs (the only thing he knew how to make edible). Their sensei was late. A rare occurrence, but not a surprising one. The war could make anyone lose track of time.

"What are you doing Temari?" Kankurou questioned around his food. She jumped, surprised, and looked at his uniquely decorated face for a moment before turning back to the paper. It looked all right, not one of her best, so she decided it couldn't be one to show them.

"Drawing" Gaara turned his head slightly; indifferently to the untrained eye. He liked Temari's artwork, no mater how terrible she claimed them to be. "It's not that great though. So you can't see"

In a breeze of wind and sand their sensei appeared in the room. The three of them looked up at him expectedly. Glancing around at them with his unveiled eye he said, "You have no missions as of now. The war is going smoothly and in our favor so you have nothing to do today." He knelt down by Temari and mumbled so softly that she could barely hear, "Keep Gaara close by. We may need _him_." Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he left in another cloud of dust.

They sat in silence for a moment, the golden-haired girl contemplating how many different ways she could get Gaara out of the house (even though it was wrong). 'Nothing to do' was a foreign concept to them. They usually had some one to fight, to protect, or something. But absolutely nothing AT ALL? It was unheard of.

Gaara abruptly left without any word of where he would go and when he would come back. Kankurou and Temari didn't question him. He wouldn't have answered anyway.

As the door slammed behind him Kankurou asked, "What happened last night, Temari? What'd he do to you?"

Sighing, she folded up the paper and tucked it into her sash. "It was an accident Kankurou, don't worry about it." He snorted and she glanced at him sharply.

"That beast doesn't have accidents. He tried to kill you. And he would've too"

"But he didn't! Explain that to me!" She already knew why Gaara didn't, but she wanted to hear Kankurou's stupid explanation first.

"Forget it Temari. If you want to be friends with that monster fine; but I'm not going to risk my life for it." He leapt backwards, dodging a swift blow from the black handled fan. "What the hell are you doing!" He realized her face was furious, her eyes flaming. The tips of her fingers were white where she clutched the fan.

"You're the monster Kankurou," she spat. "It's people like you that make him the way he is." She swung her fan again and he leapt over her landing behind her. Flinging herself around she threw the fan widely and jabbed powerfully it into Kankurou's stomach, pinning him against the wall. She got in his face and growled, "Ni-san, if I can even call you that anymore, you are cold-hearted and evil. **You** are the monster and Gaara is the human" Temari pulled her weapon away and Kankurou slid to the ground painfully.

"Temari," he gasped, winded, and grabbing his side. She glared back at him. "Why do you stand up for him?"

She replied, looking out the window absentmindedly, "I have to, or nobody will" Memories flooded her mind; memories of her half-brother when was still an innocent, untainted child. Of their mother before she died while giving birth to him. How stunning she had been; and when Gaara was born, he was a tiny red-headed baby. Small, fragile, darling. How Temari had adored holding the petite creature; how she loved when he would grab at her hair and giggle when she tickled his stomach.

Yashamaru, her uncle, had been kind to Gaara. One of the only ones who ever were. Temari snapped out of her reverie when she realized that tears were in her eyes. Cursing at herself she wiped them away with the back of her hand. It was taking away her brother, and somehow or other, It must be stopped. Temari didn't know how she could do that. Gaara, although he trusted her, had no one else in the world to go to. She needed to find him and talk to him, understand his plight more, and try to help him overcome the monster inside.

Kankurou asked, more for propriety than for anything, "Think we should go find Gaara? Sensei said to have him on hand." She blinked and shook her head no.

"**I** think we should leave him be."

Meanwhile, as Temari and Kankurou argue angrily after Gaara leaves, the Sand Demon went to the middle of the desert to train. He needed to get his resolve back under control, to make sure he wasn't going soft. Next time, he vowed, he would kill her without hesitation. His angry aura caused the sand around him to swell and burst, to collapse dunes around him, to crash large waves of sand into the ground. The grains erupted like thunder around him, reflecting his ominous mood.

A choked gasp sounded behind him and he clutched his fist again, preparing to compress them without a second thought. Unfortunately, he caught wind of the person's face and froze.

Wooden crutches clattered against the sand and ear shattering screams filled the air. Gaara's eyes widened and he dropped her. It was that girl again, Masao. She grabbed her crutches and tried to pull herself to her feet, wavering as she fell again. She was trying to act as if nothing happened. Like he didn't just attack her with hundreds of pounds of sand, causing her old wounds to rupture and making her shriek out in pain. Blood discolored her red shirt and white shorts and dripped down her legs. She gasped heavily, and looked up at him with fearless eyes.

Gaara winced. Fearless. Why? She should be afraid! Monsters were meant to inculcate terror! Again she tried to stand, but to no avail. Unexpectedly, her wounds vanished and the purplish bruises turned peachy again. Her clothes were unstained and clean, and her reddish-purple hair was neat and orderly. For a moment, he was thrown off, and then his eyes narrowed. "Genjutsu," he explained away.

"Good job," she joked, her wounds and stains returning. "Just trying to look a little less sloppy. But if you just see right through it what's the point?" But this time, she stood up with the aid of her crutches. She smiled kindly at him and asked, "What are you doing out here?" He blinked and looked at her in carefully hidden shock.

"Why do you care?" he retorted, crossing his arms, his sand barrier still swirling around him. Masao was still looking cheery, and he flew at her, disturbed, shoving her against a wall of sand he created. He saw that she had some fear in her eyes now, and felt slightly relieved. Her skin was warm and soft where he grasped her shoulders, and it felt distressingly invigorating to his Demon.

Her breath on his face when she spoke made It fidget almost uncontrollably. "Are you going to kill me?" There was no anger in her voice, no hate, only inquisitiveness. And it infuriated him, it confused him terribly. Her silvery eyes sparkled with pained tears. "I won't hate you if you do. It's just the way you were brought up. You're not to blame Gaara" His heart pounded when his name escaped her lips.

"What are you doing to me?" he demanded. Her eyes widened in astonishment, unknowing. Gaara dropped her to the ground and she panted in pain. A question nearly slipped out but he stopped it just in time: _Are you okay? _Instead he hissed, "Why are you being so kind to me?"

"Because I know what you're going through" He screamed in aggravation and she slunk back in fear.

Gaara shook his head. "You're just completely crazy. You could never understand what I'm going through."

"I doubt that," she replied fiercely. "And I'm kind to you because of that understanding."

Gaara glared at her angrily, clutching at his scarlet hair with one slender hand. "What is wrong with you? I'm a **monster**! You should be scared of me!" She crawled towards him, unable to get up again, a trembling hand outstretched. His eyes were squeezed tight, and he didn't see her hovering before him until he felt her hand cupping his cheek.

"I **am** scared of you Gaara," she whispered, the fear sieving into her voice.

He glared up, inquiring, "Why then!"

"I don't know…"

He shoved her forcefully away and yelled, "Get away from me dammit! Tell me something that makes sense!" Another frustrated cry. Blood spurted from her leg when he knocked her to the ground, and his Demon shivered in delight. Gaara could barely contain Its nature, Its want to kill. He towered over her unmoving body, realizing that she had fainted from loss of blood. She was so susceptible, so innocent, and so effortless to eradicate. Her burgundy hair fanned out beneath her, intermingling with the sand around her. She looked like a desert archangel.

Gaara decided what he was going to do before he realized what he had done. He scooped up Masao in his arms and vanished in a blur of sand.

…**:oOo:…**

"Dad! Dad! Some strange boy's here!" A tall male ninja looked up, his black hair falling across his face. He wore all black with a red belt across his waist and hitai-ate headband around his forehead. The chuunin looked behind her and saw the extraordinary, handsome redhead gaiting into their camp with one of their own in his arms.

The man stepped forward to meet him and the young boy looked up at him impassively. "I believe this is one of your kunoichi? I found her in the desert, wounded" His voice was cold and indifferent, and sounded like he wouldn't be there if he had any choice.

"Y-yes she is," he mumbled, nervous by this odd boy. He accepted Masao from him and the boy evaporated from their views.

The chuunin girl asked her father, "Is Masao all right?" He glanced down at her wounds (which he had bandaged the first time) and blinked. Someone had completely cleaned her cuts and replaced the gauze strips. "Dad?"

"She'll be fine…"


	5. That Fate Which Condemns Him

Chapter 4: That Fate Which Condemns Him

A fortnight passed with no war contact for Temari and Kankurou, but Gaara was gone almost every day. Nothing changed, and there was no more mention of that enemy kunoichi. He seemed to be falling farther and farther away, and Temari was desperately concerned. He didn't talk to her anymore, and at night he had those strange spasms. Gaara locked his door to keep her out, and she didn't understand why. Sometimes she would listen by the door only to hear him mumbling incoherently to himself.

Something was tearing away his soul. Temari decided that to help him, she would have to talk to this Masao.

It was night again. Two weeks after he dropped **her** off at the encampment. He bolted his door again, not wanting to talk with Temari nor worry her with his fears. Yes, he had fears. Not that he would ever admit them to anyone of course.

He had no idea what he needed to do. Something deep inside of him told him he needed to see her again, but he didn't know why. A knock sounded on the wood of his door, but he ignored it. "C'mon Gaara, open up…" Temari's desperate voice sounded on the other side. Again he ignored it and continued to contemplate. "Gaara, I just wanted to tell you that I'm going out." That caught him off guard and he unlocked his door. The little bit he could see of her face through the slightly opened door smiled at him.

"Where're you going?"

"Just out. I wanted to tell you incase you thought someone tried to kidnap me or murder me" She said this so lightly that he blinked in disbelief. "Seriously Gaara. I won't be long I promise." Waving she hopped out the apartment door, locking it behind her.

She had a vague idea where this girl might be, and she was born and raised in the desert so that didn't bother her. What she **was** worried about, however, was what she planned to say to her. _What'd you do to Gaara?_ or _I wanna know what you did to my brother!_ or _Hi I'm Temari, the sister of the guy who almost killed you. Can I come in?_ She trekked through the sand, racking her brain for a plausible reason to be knocking on this girl's door.

She viewed the camp on the horizon and removed her sand hitai-ate from around her neck. It would be a dead giveaway obviously. If she was to do this appropriately, she would have to go incognito. She stepped into the village after depositing her fan behind an abandoned house. A young man was upon her instantly. "May I help you Miss?"

"Yes," she replied looking around. "I'm looking for a young girl named Masao. Do you know where I can find her?" The boy looked at her suspiciously but nodded. He motioned her to follow him and Temari sighed. She had a back up story, but really didn't think it would have fooled him.

"What's your name?" he asked her. She blinked. It didn't seem out of regulation, but out of curiosity.

"Why?"

"So I can tell Masao who is visiting. She's in the infirmary you know." Temari wasn't surprised. After what Gaara had done to her on the field with his sand… They stopped before a white building with a red cross on the front and he looked at her expectantly.

"My name's Temari. Tell her that she met my red-headed brother before. Those exact words please." He nodded slowly and entered. He came back out a moment later and smiled.

"She says come on in." Temari nodded and followed him a few rooms down and saw that Masao was watching the door with expecting eyes. "I'll come back for you later Temari." He left, leaving her and the enemy kunoichi alone. She didn't know what to do, or what to say. They just stared at each other for a long time.

"You're Gaara's sister then?" Masao asked conversationally, trying to break the silence. "Please sit down." Temari looked at her warily before sitting down on the stiff chair by her bed. She sized the girl up, taking in her strengths, her weaknesses, her persona, and all she could perceive about her without a complete, thorough conversation.

"I want to know something Masao-kun," Temari started smoothly. "What kind of conversation did you and Gaara have?"

"What do you mean?"

"There's something wrong with him now. And it's your fault."

She looked completely astonished. "What happened to him? Is he okay?" The authentic worry in her eyes took Temari by surprise; and it took her a moment before she could start again. This girl actually did care about Gaara. He wasn't mistaken by his description of her.

"What do you feel for him?" Masao was obviously thrown off by that, her cheeks tinting pink. She stuttered for moment.

She fidgeted with her hands and looked out the window. "I… I'm not sure exactly Temari-san." Temari narrowed her eyes. Her expression frightened the injured ward and she sputtered out accidentally, "I really, really like him!" Of all the things she had expected, she didn't think feelings of this magnitude were being sent towards Gaara.

"Excuse me?"

"I can't explain it…" Masao bit her lip. "But when I saw him for the first time, how lost he looked, I couldn't keep my feelings of rage and revenge. I experienced such an overwhelming such of cleansing when I looked into his eyes." She shook her head and clutched at her wine-red hair in frustration. "And then, about two weeks ago, while I was out training I saw him again. And, again, he could have killed me but didn't."

Temari thought mystified, _Why didn't you Gaara? This doesn't make any sense!_

"Then he knocks me out, fixes the wounds he reopened, and carries me all the way back here." She was really confused now; it was so unlike Gaara that she might have though Masao was talking about someone else. "My heart's a battleground, where revenge and love mêlée for dominance." Sorrow laced in her voice; it indicated she was torn by her affection for Gaara and her need to avenge her brother. It was unlike anything she had ever encountered.

Then it hit her. Gaara's seclusion, the incapability to comprehend what exactly Masao did to him, the inability to kill her, not eating, no contact with anyone; it all made sense! She couldn't find any other solution except that he, Gaara of the Sand, the Demon of the Sand Village, the one they claimed had no heart or soul, was infatuated. He's never known anyone else besides family to love him, so he wouldn't understand the feeling of lovesickness.

But, of all the people, Gaara? She thought he had lost all his humane instincts when he killed Yashamaru. Maybe… maybe they were resurfacing. Was it possible? Could, after all this time, Gaara be experiencing the joys of first love? Temari shook her head. How to explain this to him was beyond her. She personally hadn't any familiarity with first loves, so she didn't know where to start with him.

She sighed. Temari was getting ahead of herself. She knew that even if she explained it to him, he would never go for it. He would brush it away and let himself suffer in loneliness. Never would he allow himself get close to Masao. Even if he did love her.

"Temari-san?" Temari looked at the kunoichi and sighed again.

"It's impossible Masao-kun." Her expression turned surprised, then confused, and then, in realization at what she meant, hurt. "That fate which condemns him to walk through seas of blood would prevent you two from ever being together."

"Fate or no, it won't stop me from loving him." The determined look in her eye was inspirational. Maybe this girl was the answer she had been searching for all along. Masao might be the one to protect Gaara from the choking black sea It drowned him in every day.

Maybe…

"But you don't even know Gaara. How can you love him?"

She smiled. A soft smile that Temari had seen only on the face of her mother. "Would you tell me about him then?" Her eyes widened. Masao's sincere expression made a bond develop between them, comparably close in the weakness of a hydrogen bond, but still there. Then she started. She poured out everything she knew about Gaara, everything that happened. From his birth, to Yashamaru; from the chuunin exam to his fights and battles at Konoha. Everything.

Then Masao relayed her history. She explained about her mother and father dying while helping fight the Nine-tailed fox in Konoha (they had happened to be in the village when it attacked). Her brother raised her, and then was killed during this crusade. Tears dripped down her delicately curved cheeks onto her shirt when she spoke of him, and Temari paid her respects.

She told her softly, "I had no idea."

"I also didn't know that much about Gaara. It's sad."

"You weren't far off when you said he looked lost. He **has** gone astray. It is taking over him." Temari looked her straight in the eye. "Do you think you have the courage to save him from his anguish?" Masao gasped quietly. "I love my brother dearly and I won't let someone who isn't brave enough to finish what she starts to get anywhere near him. He's been hurt enough in his life and he doesn't need someone to add to it. Are you heroic enough!"

Masao answered with without hesitation, "I am. But I'm not vain enough to say I can lift him from his despair. I can try, and I most definitely will."

Temari nodded. "Well—" The door to the hospital room flew open and four men and a woman ran in, heavily armed.

"Masao-sama!" the woman screeched. "That's an enemy shinobi! Watch out!"

"Dammit," Temari cursed, dodging a chained-scythe being hurled at her. "Good-bye Masao-kun" She raced to the window and broke through the glass. Yells and shouts of 'Get her!' resounded through the dark night as she picked up her fan from behind the house. Opening it, she blew away the plethora of sharp, pointy things being hurled at her.

…**:oOo:…**

_It's midnight_, Temari thought exasperatedly when she entered her apartment. She had been gone for almost four hours and was dead tired. She had to rest for a bit to replenish her chakra then continued on 'til she made it back. It was all right though; she could survive on six hours of sleep easy.

"Temari." She looked around and saw Gaara sitting up at the kitchen table in darkness, his blue eyes seeming to have their own illumination as they pierced through the shadows. "You said you wouldn't be long. I thought I'd have to go looking for you."

"Thank you for your concern," she replied gratefully. "But I'm all right. I just need some rest." She turned to leave, but Gaara grabbed her arm. She glanced at him in confusion. "What's wrong?"

His expression was slightly awkward. She would have laughed if he didn't seem so solemn. "I want you to help me understand something." Temari nodded and sat down with him at the kitchen table.

"What is it Gaara?"

He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "What qualities, exactly, go girls see in boys?" Temari's eyes flew open in complete and total shock. This was the most unexpected thing he could have ever asked her in million years. But he was totally serious about it, watching her for an answer. She stuttered, unsure of what to say.

"A-are you serious Gaara?" she blurted out without meaning too. He nodded. "What girl are we talking about?"

"For our purposes, let's just say you."

She tapped her chin thoughtfully and looked up slightly, imagining what she wanted her dream man to be like. "Well," she started, and he leaned in, listening intensively. "He should be brave and strong. He should be able to complete his duty to his country and he should love me no matter what." She smiled, seeing a way to work this to her advantage. "He should be handsome too."

He furrowed his brow. "Am I all those things?"

"That's **my** dream man, Gaara," she explained. "Preferences change for each girl." She could hardly believe she was having this conversation with him. All the while though, his expression remained impassive but attentive. "For example, that girl Masao," his eyes flickered up, "likes her men to be mysterious. Also, she wants someone strong who'll love her inconsequently as well. She wants someone good looking who is in danger of losing himself…" Temari broke off, staring into space. "She's a caring girl, a strong girl, and she really, really likes candy."

"Candy?" he questioned, thrown off guard. Temari nodded, remembering how she said her brother used to get the sweets for her whenever he could. She stood up and yawned, realizing that she was more tired than she thought at first. "Wait…"

"Yes?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Do you think that even a monster like me… could have some one like her?" Then he corrected himself, "Not her specifically, but someone like her?"

She smiled widely and he looked dumbfounded. "Anyone with a heart and soul can love Gaara. So yes, you can love her." She turned and left him in the kitchen. Then added, "Or someone like her."

He watched after, with the strangest feeling that she knew more than she was letting on.


	6. Masao's History

A/N: I would like to thank Chixon for reviewing my story and Chixon and Sbgchan for adding my story to their favorites. It's really appreciated!

See Prologue for the disclaimer and all that...

Chapter 5: Masao's History

"Temari." Gaara's voice came from behind her. She had come to watch the sunset; something she rarely had time to do. Few were as stunning to her as the desert twilight, and nothing left her in awe of its breathtaking splendor as much as it did. The radiance colored the pale grains and the sun always dipped below the horizon fiery red. It painted a mosaic of shades out on the sky, staining the clouds bold, gorgeous pinks and purples and oranges. She sat atop a stone ledge with her legs crossed.

She turned to him and smiled, patting the stone next to her for him to sit beside her. Instead he took one about five feet away. Sighing she asked, "What's wrong Gaara?"

He stayed silent for a moment. Then he asked, "Yesterday… last night… I had the feeling you didn't say everything you know."

"I didn't," she replied simply. Another pause of silence.

"What else do you know about her and how do you know it?"

Temari chose her words carefully. "I won't tell you how I know it, but I will tell you everything else I know if you want." He nodded and she glided a little closer to him on the wall. A soft wind began to waft, rustling the sand at their feet. It blew through Gaara's hair, reminding him of Masao when she ran her fingers through it before he used his Sabakukyu. The usual guilt trip washed over him, and he felt completely awful.

"Masao was born four days after you were. And when she was still a baby, her parents were killed by the Nine-Tailed Fox in Konohagakure Village, where they were helping the fourth Hokage. Raiden, her older brother, was ten and had to take care of her. Unfortunately, her village decided that she was a good choice to succeed their aging Black Ops Torture and Interrogation head.

"Most of it was based on her heritage too, because of a special kekkei genkai she has. She was raised harshly, sort of like you, without any love. At age five she became a chuunin, and at eleven she reached the rank of jounin. That's when they inaugurated her as the retired shinobi's proxy.

"Rumors say that she's the best interrogator the village ever had." Temari chuckled softly. "Kind of scary, isn't it? Eleven years old and the best torturer in her community. The villagers there secretly thought she was cold-hearted and evil. They also feared her shinobi prowess." Gaara finally understood what Masao had meant. She did understand what he was going through.

She knew, and he had pushed her away unknowingly. He had hurt her. He had screamed at her and accused her of raving.

She recognized his plight. She had known all along. But he never knew. He never bothered to try and understand. He was selfish, uncaring, arrogant, and she… she was compassionate, sweet, understanding even though she had lived almost an identical life to his. Masao…!

"Gaara?" Temari asked him softly, placing her hand on his. He looked up at her worried face and sighed. He pulled his hand out from under hers and gripped his heart. She looked at the nearly set sun, the light reflecting in her eyes and making them seem bright and lively. "Four years later, when she was fifteen, a group of ninjas volunteered to attack Sunagakure with her brother Raiden included. She was the kage for her village, the Sorakage, meaning Sky Shadow, and she fully endorsed it. She was rather reluctant about letting her brother go though. You, Kankurou, and I killed them all, but you killed Raiden. Do you recall the man begging for mercy, so he could see his baby sister one more time?"

"I remember," he whispered. He wanted to see Masao once more before he died. But Gaara had killed him in cold blood. Not even guilt, which is infecting him now, had entered his senses.

"She blames herself to this day for letting him go…"

His heart ached painfully and he clutched at his shirt. "Temari, what's wrong with me?"

She looked impassive as she stared at the slowly blackening sky with soft eyes. Her pretty face was half-shadowed by the impending darkness but he could see water dripping down a dexterously curved cheek. His perfectly shaped blue eyes half-closed and stared at the ground. "The feeling you have ni-san," she whispered to him, resting her head on his shoulder, "is called love. A special kind, mind you, not what I have given you."

"What can I do?"

She smiled bitter-sweetly. "Go to her. As soon as possible Gaara. Maybe she needs you as much as you need her."

…**:oOo:…**

Weeks passed, and the war was growing steadily more aggressive. The enemy side in Hikari was losing, and was desperate for anything that would help them win. In Suna, they rejoiced at the near end of the fighting. Many of their shinobi had been killed and their supplies and funds were running slightly low.

Temari lay on her back on the porch, thinking. It was four in the morning and she couldn't sleep, so she let the cold night desert air bathe over her. Gaara's behavior had rapidly changed since her talk with him and she prayed that it was for better rather than worse. He was eating now, and he didn't stay in his room all the time anymore. Also, the screaming stopped at night, and her worried knocks at his door grew less and less.

She sighed, and then heard a sound behind her. Disappearing instantly, Temari waited and saw that Gaara was leaving the house with a large, wrapped package tucked safely in his arm.

She was confused but decided not to say anything.

_Am I really doing this?_ Gaara asked himself. _Am I really going to throw everything to the four winds for one little thing? Is this worth it?_ He was risking everything for love. If anyone found out, he would most likely be banished or put to death. Well, he would be **sentenced** to death. He would never allow himself to die.

Masao. All he could think about was Masao. Her face uplifted his resolve. _Yes. Yes it was worth it…_

He still had no idea why he was doing this or what he hoped to accomplish. All he knew was that he **should**. That feeling made him go out and purchase the most luxurious chocolates and sweets he could find, much to the surprise and confusion of the villagers. That feeling made him sneak out without a word to anyone, although Temari saw him leave. It was that feeling that forced him to go into an enemy ninja encampment to find her and try to find out how she feels.

He entered silently, looking for an infirmary that would most likely be her location; only because of what he did. Culpability and pain swept through him, knowing that he was the cause of her suffering. He felt his heart throb. Throb for her.

Ah! Exactly what he needed he found. A hospital. He entered and peeked in every doorway he passed. The first room held an older woman with her leg in a cast; the second had a man covered completely in bandages from what seemed like burns. A locked door which he easily picked the lock of held only medical supplies. Finally, he opened the next door and saw her, sleeping peacefully. Gaara slid noiselessly in and closed the door behind him so he wouldn't wake her up.

Setting his large gift basket on her nightstand, he prepared to leave, but saw her stir.

Masao opened her eyes groggily, hearing loud breathing near her and looked around attentively. Unexpectedly, her eyes rested on a boy she hadn't seen in almost two months. Her demon of the sand, her handsome red head. "Gaara!" she whispered. He placed a hand over her mouth and the contact made her heart skip a beat. Their eyes met, and the lost Gaara shown through like never before.

_They say eyes are the window to the soul…_ The old saying floated through his mind, and he now understood what it meant. When he watched her blue-gray orbs he could tell that all Temari told him was true. She had painful memories, a blood-soaked past, and an emotionless, almost demonic, other self she reserved for her interrogations. He traced her face with his free hand, making her heartbeat jump about inconsistently.

"Masao…" he said in a quiet voice, almost too soft for her to hear. "I want to see something…" He cupped her cheeks, making her blush hotly. _Oh my God!_ she thought, her brain turning to mush. _This can't be real!_

Their face were inches from each other; expressions revealing confusion, fear, but above all else, a sense of certainty. Faith. Confidence. Belief. Knowing that what they were doing felt completely right. **This **is how it should be. **This** is what they both had lost and needed above everything else. **This** is what love is all about. "I'm not sure," Gaara breathed uncertainly, "what to do…"

"That's fine," she replied, almost unable to talk. "Neither do I." Slowly, softly, they pressed their lips together, trying to dig out their ability to love and be loved in return. Masao stood up from her sitting position on the bed and knotted her hands around his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Passion radiated from them like light from the sun; beautiful, unadulterated, full of new power. He licked her lips, searching for an entrance, and she opened her mouth. He took the invitation, feeling his instincts returning.

Suddenly, Masao pulled back, panting. "Wow…" she whispered. "For someone who never loved before, Gaara, you are an amazing kisser." He looked at her for a moment, unsure of what that meant. She sat back down on her bed and he sat beside her.

"I don't know what you mean…" he told her, furrowing his brow. "I suppose the same could be said for you. Seeing as you never loved before either." Masao laughed.

She leaned forward and kissed the tattooed 'ai' on his forehead and he looked up at her in shock, uncomprehending. She smiled tenderly at him, and her face made his heart pound erratically. He pressed his hand to it, and she placed hers over his, grasping it softly. "See? You have a heart. Don't listen to what anyone else says about." Gaara had the tiniest smile on his face, barely noticeable unless someone was looking for it.

Masao was looking for it. She brushed her lips against his again. He placed his hand on her chest and sheheld itwith both of hers. He told her, "You have one too. And no one can take it away." He pressed his forehead to her shoulder and cried. Sorrowful, joyful, painful, happy tears. She stroked his red hair as he dampened her white medical gown with the salty water. He was sobbing silently, but she didn't have to hear him to know his pain, his tears on her skin were enough.

She whispered into his hair as she rubbed his back, "Even the darkest person has a heart. I was dark too, for the first fifteen years of my life. But things change; **people change**. May it be the death of a family member, or the finding of love. Everything influences you, but it's things like those that make the difference." He began to calm down, his shaking shoulders subsiding.

"I didn't think I could change…" He pulled her into his lap in a soft cuddle. "But then I met you." Gaara was taller than she, so Masao just rested her head in the curve of his neck. They felt safe in each other's embrace, they felt like they belonged. Somewhere they belonged… alien to them, but each felt like they had it all along.

His cheek pressed against her maroon hair and he felt her nose nuzzle against his neck. The words her most wanted to hear escaped her lips, and it had a profound effect on him. "Gaara, you know I love you, ne?" He nodded, lightly kissing to the top of her head. "And?"

"Do I really need to say?" he questioned tenderly. She nestled against his chest, her warm body alluring It to the surface. But Gaara suppressed it, just so he could be with her a little longer. The clock on her nightstand caught his eye and he winced. It was one hour until Kankurou would burst into his room to get him up and if he wasn't **there** to be woken up there would be some problems he couldn't cover up. "Masao…" He slid her off his knees and onto the bed as he stood up.

"Gaara?" Her eyes were confused, and it hurt him to do this but it must be done. He did a fast series of hand signs and she began to feel slightly drowsy. Her eyes started to become unfocused.

"This was only a dream," he told her, pain seeping into his voice.

"A… dream…?" she mumbled sleepily, feeling the effects of the ninjutsu tugging her consciousness away. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "No, it… was real…"

"You're asleep… This is a dream"

"Dream…"

"Yes… that's right…" His voice cracked. Her eyes closed and she fell backwards onto her pillow. He pulled the blanket up to her chin and watched her for a long time. The rise and fall of her chest, her even breathing,

She would remember nothing when she woke up, thinking that she had seen him in a reverie. She couldn't remember their night together, or it could have dire consequences if it got out. He would have to keep it a secret.

But he would remember it, oh God would he remember it, and treasure it forever.


	7. False Circumstances

Chapter Six: False Circumstances

"Masao-sama?" a voice whispered, opening the door to her hospital room slightly.

"Ryuki?" Her voice was muffled as she spoke around a mouthful of chocolate. The nursemaid looked at her in shock, noting how much more the sugar-lover still had to go through.

"Sorakage-sama! All that sugar isn't good for you!" Masao just laughed and offered her a bonbon from the pile in the basket on her nightstand. Reluctantly Ryuki took it and bit into it, a reproachful look still on her face. "Where did you get all of this?"

"I woke up this morning and it was right there! I first I thought it was only a dream!" She paused, realizing the significance of her words. Last night, someone had said that same exact thing to her, but she couldn't remember who. It was a young man judging by the timbre of his voice, but she couldn't put it with a face…

Ryuki grinned and pulled a package out of her apron pocket. "Medicine time Masao-sama!"

"Noooo!" she wailed. "I hate shots!" The nursemaid clucked her tongue, trying not to laugh, and took the whining girl's arm, pushing the needle into her skin.

"That's to make you sleep. You need as much rest as possible to get better Masao-sama."

"But I feel better," she protested. Ryuki chuckled dryly, noting her bandages that needed to be changed again, the stitches that needed to be removed and something that was out of place. The nurse examined the shoulder of the nightgown. It was stained slightly, and wrinkled as if water had dampened it. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. You get to sleep now Masao. Oh, by the way, I heard that Kenji was coming over to visit." Masao groaned and fell backwards onto the bed. The nurse gave her a surprised expression and sat on the rigid chair next to the bed.

She groaned, "I hate it when he comes over Ryuki. He's always being so… flirty and gross. I already have someone I love…" The effects of the drugs put her out after that, and the nurse left her with a small laugh.

_Someone you love? Was it the young man who snuck in last night?_ "Try not to make her too stressed Kenji. She's still hurt," she told the young man passing her. He nodded and waved. It was the boy who had escorted Temari to the room a few weeks ago. He was about sixteen, with chin length black hair and brown eyes. He wore a dark blue jumpsuit with a black vest dangling overtop. His hitai-ate was tied around his waist.

He entered the room to find her snoring with chocolate smeared across her cheek. Wrappers were littered across the floor in a rainbow of aluminum and small chunks of chocolate and pieces of taffy were stuck to the floorboards. Kenji raised an eyebrow. Even asleep with food surrounding her she looked absolutely perfect. Even more beautiful than the blonde Suna girl who had come a few weeks back.

"But," he murmured to himself. "That doesn't answer who got this superfluous amount of sweets for Masao-chan." He rummaged through the basket but didn't find anything. He looked over at Masao and knelt by her bed. "Who's trying to win your heart Masao-sama?"

She rolled over onto her side and murmured, "Oh, Gaara…" He blinked. Did she just say what he thought she did? So that Demon from the Sand Village was trying to get it on with Masao-chan, eh?

He smirked, seeing a way to work this to their benefit. A plan started forming in his head, and if all went well, they might win this little war…

…**:oOo:…**

Temari whipped out her fan and blew away the kunai being hurled at her. "C'mon! This is too easy!" she scoffed. The enemies fled back into the desert and she called out after them, "And stay out!" A piece of folded paper floated to her feet and it had 'Gaara of the Sand' written on the front of it. She knit her eyebrows and picked it up. Should she open it? She would be invading Gaara's privacy if she did. And he would probably never forgive her if he found out and she couldn't have that.

She eventually did, her curiosity getting the better of her. She slid her finger into the crease and ripped the tape off the side. Unfolding it she looked over its contents.

Gaara,

I have awful news. I think the villagers know about us, and I need your help. Please come as soon as possible! I miss you.

Love,

Masao Ai

The scrawl was hasty, as if written in a very short time. She had rushed to write this letter to him.

Temari read through it three times, and it still made no sense to her. What'd she mean when she said 'us'? Did Gaara express himself to her last night? Then this was very bad if her village knew about it. She wrapped her fan onto her back again and ran home, desperate to tell Gaara.

She burst into their apartment, knowing Kankurou wouldn't be there so she could explain.

Gaara looked up from his book at Temari who had just ran in. She panted heavily and thrust a piece of paper at him. He took it up and read through it. "It's a trick," he told her, crumpling the document into a ball. "Obviously the enemy is trying to lure me to the village under false circumstances to attempt an assassination."

Temari bit her lip. "That is a possibility, but what if the letter's true? Then Masao could be in danger!" Gaara glanced at her impassively.

"That's what they want us to think Temari. Don't fall for their ploy." He stood up and dropped him book to the chair he had been sitting in and looked at her sternly. "Get back to your post." She took a step back, hurt. He seemed so snappy.

But he outranked her, so there wasn't much she could do. "Yes sir…" she replied, ducking back out the door.

Gaara faced the blank wall, his eyes closed in thought. Temari was right though. Masao could be in trouble. But how could he make sure…? Well, maybe he should start off by… apologizing… to Temari. He really didn't mean to get all shirty with her and she **was** just trying to help. Reluctantly, he strapped his gourd to his back and, locking the front door behind him, left to go find her.

He got to the edge of the village and looked out at the vast desert. It was a lot to go by, but luckily he knew where her post was. But when he got there, she was no where in sight. He then treaded a little farther out into the blistering heat he was so accustomed to. Finally, his village was but a distant speck on the horizon, and there was still no sign of his sister.

Unexpectedly, a loud scream erupted. A girl's scream. One he'd recognize anywhere. "Masao!" He followed the sound and saw a large mob pursuing her. They were from her own village, and blood dripped everywhere, indicating awful wounds. He vanished in a breeze of sand and appeared between the rabble and Masao. His instinct pounded on him. Too rash! it scolded. The throng slid to a stop and Gaara glared at them through narrowed eyes, sending shivers down their spines.

"Gaara!" she cried.

"Are you all right Masao?" he asked, still facing the large group of shinobi who looked **smug** of all things.

A maniacal laugh erupted behind him, but it wasn't Masao anymore. Before he had time to make a move, the boy behind him swung a folded fuuma shuriken at his head. Growling profanities at himself, Gaara fell unconscious. "Now I am Gaara-sweetie," Kenji mocked, laughing. "Take him back to the village."

…**:oOo:…**

Kankurou slid down a large cluster of sand, glancing from side to side, aggravated. "Dammit," he cursed. Why today, of all days, did Gaara decide to go missing? The monster knew he should be waiting at the house for Kankurou to go get him, so they could set off their final attack. And now **he** was burdened with having to find him. _I bet he's with Temari. That's makes me so mad!_ He knocked his black veil out of his face where it had blown and scanned the surroundings.

Temari heard an angry curse and instantly recognized the voice. She ran down a dune and almost into her brother. "Kankurou? What are you doing out here? I thought you left with Gaara ten minutes ago."

"We were supposed to," he replied. "But he decided to leave the house. Any idea where he is Temari?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I haven't seen him since I left the house about fifteen minutes ago." She was worried now. Why did Gaara leave this time? "Shit…" she swore. He probably went to go investigate that letter; meaning he was almost certainly in the enemy camp!

"Any ideas where he might be?" he repeated, hearing the curse. Temari looked at him, and he stared right back. "Well?"

"If I tell you, Kankurou, you and I are going to find him… alone. Got me?" Her brother nodded tentatively. "He's…"

…**:oOo:…**

"Masao-sama! How are you feeling?" Ryuki smiled but saw she was twitching slightly. Then the nursemaid sighed. She always gets like this when she eats too many sweets. Putting the basket Gaara bought her away, she sat next to the teen. "Masao-sama, does anything hurt?"

"No ma'am! Everything's fine and dandy! In fact, I never felt better in my life! Did you know that caramel is a better feeling for chocolate than coconut? I just found that out! Also, strawberry crème is **so** much better than orange! But I like the vanilla crème, too! Hmmm… Oh well! I really, really, really like white chocolate even though I've never had it before now. Dark chocolate is really yucky so I gave it all to Kenji, but I know you like it so I made sure to save some for you!" Masao took a deep breath and tried to start another lightning fast, one-sided conversation but Ryuki put a hand over her mouth, raising an eyebrow.

"How much chocolate did you eat?"

"Not that much! But I didn't eat only chocolate though! I also had hard little candy hearts and some lollipops and some taffy and these weird little crunchy candies and some licorice and some candy coated almonds and a few pieces of candy that didn't go by very fast because I had to suck on them for like an hour and—" Ryuki cut her off with a wave of her hand, her black eyes narrowing. She heard the sound of footsteps outside and rushed to the window. Masao appeared by her side, seemingly off her sugar high, and gasped. It was the large group that had gone out that morning for another skirmish, or so she had heard.

But now they're back, with a prize being toted along like an old rag doll. It was a attractive red-haired boy with dark eyes. Masao could hardly believe her eyes. "GAAR—" she screamed, only to have it cut short by her nurse slapping her. She stared at her in shock.

"I'm sorry Masao-sama," she whispered. "But if you wish to save him, then you can't be making anyone think you know him." The kunoichi nodded in comprehension and ran into the bathroom to change into her normal attire.

"What should I do?" she asked, strapping on her throwing star holster.


	8. Lost and Found

Chapter Seven: Lost and Found

"There he is," Temari breathed, barely audible to her companion. Kankurou nodded.

"Do your stuff Crow," he whispered. His marionette took on the form of a shinobi donning the enemy crest, a sun etched into the headband, and slipped inconspicuously into the crowd.

"You sure this'll work?"

"Positive. No one will notice"

Temari sighed, and thought she saw someone leaving the hospital. A maroon haired, red clad someone. _…Masao? _Suddenly she was behind them kneeling next to Kankurou. Temari blinked, not surprised as much as she was confused

"Temari-san, I have a plan to get Gaara out of there." Kankurou jumped, not noticing her until she spoke. "I just wanted to warn you, what you're about to see is nothing more than an illusion. I'm just going to try and get him out of here. By the way Kankurou?" He raised an eyebrow. "I would advise getting your doll out of there before I begin a little reformation."

She vanished and Temari shot Kankurou a sarcastic smile. "No one will notice, eh?"

"Shut up! How can we trust this girl Temari? We don't even know her!" His sister made no reply. Irritated, he turned back to the scene in the camp. Masao's face was solemn and angry, but she moved normally as if nothing were wrong. She limped slightly from a leg wound Gaara gave her, but otherwise looked all right. The crowd parted as she made her way to the center, where they had Gaara tied and chained to a thick pole. His head hung limply and his gourd was tossed to the side.

"Masao?" Kenji asked as she passed by him. Ignoring him, she stopped in from of Gaara and knelt before him. She grew absolutely furious, but didn't show it. The chains left purple bruises on his pale neck and he had cuts on his face where they had dragged him on the gravel. Rope burns adorned his arms, discoloring them red. She lightly stroked his hair for a moment, and lifted his head up gently.

"So this is the demon that killed my brother?" She put so much emotion in her voice that Temari actually thought she was serious. But she trusted Masao to keep Gaara safe. Besides, it was only an illusion right?

"Now!" she cried, pulling a mess of different weapons out of numerous containers hidden in her clothes. "To get revenge for Raiden!" The crowd cheered. Masao could barely do it; even if it was a figment of their imagination it was still her Gaara. Biting her lip nervously, although this wasn't evident to the crowd she was fooling, and began her normal routine. She began at his forehead, pulling the skin from his skull; scalping him. Misapprehension or no, it made her want to cry.

Kankurou and Temari stared in carefully disguised horror. Even though they knew it wasn't really happening it was still awful to watch.

Gaara stirred and his darkened lids opened. He tugged slightly on the chains attaching him to the shaft and felt them fall to the ground. Glancing up, he saw with wide eyes the very last person he had expected. "Masao? What's going on?" She made no reply, but her face was deathly pale and sweat beaded down her skin. When he was free he backed away from her. "How do I know you're the real Masao?"

"How the hell… should I know?" she replied, her voice becoming a hardship to use. "I suppose… you'll just have… to trust me…" She panted heavily, but still smiled at him. He looked at the captivated crowd cheering and some looking slightly green. She answered his unspoken question, "I made quite a show… of me… torturing you. I have to say I may… be taking it a little far." Suddenly, she collapsed towards the ground, but Gaara caught her before she hit it.

"Masao!"

"I think I used a smidgen too much chakra," she huffed affably.

"Can you get up?" She tried, she really did, but as soon as she rose to her feet she fell to her knees. He pulled her arm around his shoulder and placed his around her waist. She gasped.

"Gaara, we need to get out of here. Now! My chakra is all gone!"

"Should I call back Crow?" Temari was about to reply, but something in the scene below caught her eye. The illusion had vanished, and the initial shock of seeing the young man Masao should have been torturing carrying her away started to wear off the crowd. Her chakra was depleted and she and Gaara were in danger.

"No and we're going to help!" She swung her legs over the ledge of the roof of the house and hit the ground. In one fluid movement from falling to running she made her way towards the mob that began the assault on her brother. With a cry, she knocked from their feet the first few people nearest her.

"I'm putting you down for a moment, Masao, but I'll be back." He leaned her against a building. She nodded weakly and, after a moment's hesitation, he kissed her swiftly on the cheek. He ran after his siblings. She rested her eyes, trying to regain her strength, but a solid body blocked the sunlight from penetrating her lids and she opened them.

They had long black hair, and a dark blue jumpsuit. Masao identified him. "Ken…ji?" she questioned feebly. His face was murderous and he grabbed her long maroon hair, pulling her up by it. She cried out in pain when her bad leg was bent awkwardly beneath her. He held her eye level, and his expression gave her the impression that he would very much like to kill her.

"All right," he spat. "I see what you are now. You were so willing to forsake your village just for an affair with that monster. Well, I'm not going to let you ruin Hikarigakure's chances of winning this war! I don't care if you're the Sorakage or the leader of the Black Ops!" He shook her and she bit back a whimper of pain. "I'm going to make you see reason by killing that bastard from Suna!" Dropping her, he fished in the case strapped to his leg and pulled out one of the most shameful of weapons that a shinobi could wield: a revolver.

She cried, "Stop this Kenji! Are you crazy!" She pulled herself to her feet only to collapse back onto her stomach after a moment. "Why are you doing this!"

"You don't get it do you Masao?" he roared "You're turning your back on your village, disowning the war we've been fighting so hard to win, to be with that abomination! You know that?"

"Disowning a war that should never have been started in the first place!" she replied, tears swelling into her eyes as she brought herself to her knees. "You pressured me into thinking it was the right thing to do; that Hikarigakure would be recognized as well as Oto or Suna or even Konoha! But I know now that it's the wrong thing to do!"

"You fool!" he growled, his whole body shaking. "You used to be so brave, so strong, but now you're nothing but a stupid, whimpering crybaby!"

"**People change** Kenji!" she snarled. Gaara heard the words and looked back at her in shock. "I've changed and Gaara's changed, each for the better. But you! You've changed for the absolute worst! Are you still so jealous that a girl got to be the Sorakage and you didn't?"

"You **bitch**!" He pitched a set of throwing stars at her, and she rolled to the side to avoid them.

She mocked, "You don't get it do you Kenji?" Each word came out loud and clear, though stressed. Standing up slowly, she pulled out a set ofsix senbon and placed them in-between her fingers, a fuuma shuriken in her mouth, a kunai in each of her clenched hands, and threw chained-scythe over her shoulder. "Gaara means more to me than the entire world put together. More than this dumb-ass war… and more than you! I would **die** for him!" He threw a kunai at her in fury, which she dodged easily. "And I know that those here wouldn't shame me for loving him if they truly were my friends. **You know that!**"

Gaara glanced at her in wonder as he continued to battle oncoming Hikari shinobi. She was willing to die for him, and he realized, he would do that and more for her. He loved her unconditionally, and he was willing to admit it. He loved her. He loved her so much he could hardly bear it. She was his life, and he couldn't remember how he had survived without her. Probably through ignorance of her existence. He hadn't known until he met her how much he needed her. But now he knew. Oh God did he know.

All at once, she hurled the smaller projectiles at Kenji and he leapt into the air to avoid them. He did an aerial corkscrew to avoid the scythe, but she pulled it back by its long chain and deeply cut his arm. Releasing the chain and taking the shuriken from her mouth, she opened it and vanished. _How can she still have enough chakra to be doing any of this?_ he thought wildly.

He hit the ground from his airborne dodging and felt someone grasp him from behind and press cold steel to his jugular. "Sorakage-sama, you're not seriously going to kill me are you?"

"I would most certainly like to." She kicked the back of his knee and he fell to them with her still holding his arm behind his back and the shuriken to his throat. "You're an evil bastard that deserves to die!"

"Really?" He was gone, and she was clutching a log where he should have been. "Substitution jutsu. Simple, yet effective." A gun cocked behind her and she saw Kenji with his revolver.

Masao turned to run, expecting to feel a bullet penetrating her body, but no shot was fired. She looked back at him, and tripped over something large and fell on her back. It rolled on top of her and its coarse surface scratched her skin. "A gourd?" She gasped and looked over at Gaara obliviously fighting another shinobi with Kenji stealthily coming up behind him. She tugged the cork on the gourd, trying desperately to tear it out.

"Good-bye, Demon from Hell," he snickered, his finger dragging back the trigger.

"**NO!**" Masao screamed, wrenching the stopper from the top of the gourd. The sand inside erupted and flew towards Gaara just as the bullet flew from the gun. His eyes widened and he fell backwards sharply, unmoving when he hit the ground. Too late, the sand formed a protective barrier around him. "**Bastard!**" Masao ran forward and tackled Kenji from behind, jerking the gun from his hand. She tore it apart piece by piece with her weapons and littered the parts on his face. Jumping back up, she stumbled hastily over to Gaara.

Masao pushed through the sand, which unexpectedly gave her easy passage and knelt down by his unnaturally still form. She cupped his cheeks. "Gaara?" she whimpered. He didn't reply and she shook horrifically, burying her face in the front of his shirt. She cried loudly, sad, bitter tears of sorrow. He was gone. Gone forever. Gone, gone, _gone_, **gone!** "**GAARA!**" She screamed his name over and over again, even though she knew it wouldn't bring him back. Her mind felt numb. Her body shook. She couldn't accept it.

The fighting had desisted, all of the Hikari shinobi watching their leader sadly. So this is what it had come to. This is what war brought to people. Pain, suffering, death. But in the end, it **had** to come to this for them to realize that war didn't solve anything. It only brought conflict and hatred. Losses of loved ones. More and more killing than the world would ever need in a lifetime.

Temari bristled in animosity and stormed to Kenji, flickering open her fan. Kankurou grabbed her arm, and she glared furious, angry daggers at him. "Look," he told her pointing. She turned around and saw with an amazed expression that Gaara began to stir.

Masao felt movement beneath her and sat upright in shock. He pushed himself up, grabbing his forehead. The large bullet was embedded there, but he was still alive. Gaara knocked it from his forehead and chunks of sand fell in small pieces from where the bullet hit. "Sand armor!" Temari whispered.

Kenji narrowed his eyes and stood up. "Dammit, you're not dead." He raised his hands to perform a hand sign. Gaara leapt up, furiously, and held Masao protectively to his side. Temari and Kankurou grabbed Kenji's arms and pulled him back.

"I think this had gone too far, what about you Kankurou?" She glanced at her brother who nodded. She looked out at the villagers. "Any objections?" No one spoke up. Gaara walked over with Masao and lifted up his gourd, putting the sand back inside. He wrapped his arms around Masao who blushed to be seen by so many people.

"I'm so glad you're safe," she whispered.

"Masao you little whore!" Kanji growled. "We could've won this war! We could've used your seduction of their little demon to our advantage! Now you've abandoned Hikari!"

"You keep singing the same old song, just give it up," Kankurou ordered. Kenji kicked his foot up backwards and dug the kunai he had attached to it with his chakra into Temari's leg. She gasped in pain and let his arm go then he pulled himself out of Kankurou's.

He began to run, but a voice called, "Stop right there Kenji!"

"Ryuki!" The nursemaid pressed Kenji against the wall.

"I told you not to stress her out, ne?" He grinned then vanished from her grip in a puff of smoke. She stared at the empty wall for a moment before stomping her foot. "Dammit! It was just a doppelganger!"

Gaara knelt by his sister. She smiled at him widely and he blinked. "Don't worry about it ni-san," she told him. "Doesn't even hurt." She pulled the knife out and tossed it aside. Masao smiled and fell to the ground in relief.

"I am so sorry I caused all of this trouble for the three of you…" she told them, hugging herself guiltily.

"Alls well that ends well, ne?" Temari commented. Kankurou said nothing, just wrapped up his golem and retied it to his back. Gaara strode over to Masao slowly and held out his hand without hesitation. She took it and he pulled her into a kiss.


	9. Epilogue

Epilogue

One week later…

"The treaty's all signed now Kazekage-sama!" The story of what happened at the encampment had gotten out, and the battle there had made people realize that this was a pointless war. A delegate from the opposing sides met up and wrotea treatyto be beneficial to each side. The Kazekage from Suna and the Sorakage from Hikari signed it and peace was declared between the two villages.

Masao smiled at Gaara as she placed the framed treaty on the wall. Those from the Village hidden in the Sand needed to embark and she was going to walk him out to say farewell to him and his siblings. As he left her office she followed, noting uncertainly the cold vibe he was emitting. "You'll come visit won't you?"

He paused. "No." That one word struck an awful blow to her heart.

She laughed nervously. "True. You'll probably be so busy with your job and such. But you'll write me, right?"

"No." Another stab at her heart. _Why was he doing this?_ He sped up but she matched his pace easily, even with her healing leg. _What's wrong with him?_

"Call?"

"No."

"Why not Gaara? Why won't you keep in contact at all?" Her voice was so angry and so hurt, but he couldn't face her or she'd see the pain in his eyes. Masao continued to follow the silent redhead, every step making her feel smaller and smaller. The pain pressing in on her heart was more excruciating than anything his sand had ever done.

They reached the outskirts of the Village Hidden in the Light where he was to rendezvous with Temari and Kankurou, and there they stood, waiting. "Do you love me?" Finally, he turned to face her, all emotion negated from his face.

"…No." His heartstrained with that one syllable, two letter word. The stricken look on her face was dampening his decision and he could barely stand to see her so wounded. But this was for the best, right? He turned back around.

She cried, tears filling her silvery eyes, "I still love you!"

He rounded on her and told her, "Masao, what you love is nothing more than a shell of sand encasing the darker reality within. I'm a monster, and a monster **cannot** love. Go home!" She took a step forward, reaching a hand out in confusion. "**Go home!**"

She stared at him, tears running down her cheeks, a hand to her mouth. Temari gave Gaara an astonished look as he strode by her. "What just happened? Gaara?" He made no reply. Kankurou and Temari glanced at each other than back at the Kazekage.

_Love is pointless and stupid. All it does is hold you back when you need to be at your maximum. It gets in your way at the most dire moment. It clouds your judgment. Masao's judgment had been clouded when she fell in love with me. But I've set that straight and she can continue on with her own life. I don't need her, and she doesn't need me. After all, we are both monsters in some way, and monsters cannot love._

That's what he thought. That's what he desperately wanted to believe. But when he left her weeping in the village, part of him had been left behind with her. The hole in his heart was back and larger than ever before. But he was still too blind to see it. Gaara of the Sand became a demon once again, burying his emotions in the depths of his soul. He didn't need them anymore, because he was done with that kunoichi, the Sorakage, from the Village Hidden in the Light, Hikarigakure.

Yashamaru had told him, "Love is the only medicine for a wound of the heart Gaara…" He had been right. He had been right all along. But there was one thing he never taught little Gaara. Love could heal the heart, but it could break it too.

And when Gaara of the Sand, the Kazekage, had reentered Sunagakure, his heart was broken.

Finis


	10. THANKS!

I would like to give thanks to the follow people for their great reviews throughout the birth of my very first Naruto fanfiction (or any fiction for that matter):

Chixon: Thank you so much for being my first reviewer! When you told me it's the best Gaara fic you ever read I almost cried with delight. And thanks for saying Chapter 6 is realistic because I **seriously** did not like how it came out. But it was my twelfth draft for that scene and I didn't have the heart to rewrite it **again**. Kenji is angry because he is jealous of Masao outperforming him, also that she is with Gaara because he liked her for a bit… And you're right; Gaara is a bit more outgoing with his feelings now that he knows nothing will befall Masao.

Element Girls: Thanks for saying it's the coolest GaaraxOC you ever read, that made me so happy. Things like that boost my morale and help make me a better writer! Romeo and Juliet? Coolio idea, but it never crossed my mind…

Poisoned Rose- Poetry…? Sometimes I dabble in it, but I never like how they turn out. Thanks a bundle for the review!

Taokitty- Thanks a heap! You people rock! I loved your little spiel, it was so… intriguing. Except you tortured poor Gaara… Ah, what the heck? It was funny never mind! (Gaara: Hmph!) Sorry about the unhappy ending, but I **despise** happy endings (Disney movies make me gag…) so I decided to break poor Masao's heart in the end. Otherwise she might have lived happily ever after…

Queen Kurash- I love you for reviewing! And I'm glad to know that I kept Gaara fully in character even if it was a romance story!

Thanks also to all future readers who reviewed after I posted this and also to every single person who gave my story a hit, even if you did it more than once. I love you all so much, and I now have the nerve to post something else!

You were wondering about a sequel? Well, I sincerely was not planning on writing one. (Holds Gaara in front of me to block angry, pursuing mob). Truthfully, I wouldn't know how to start. I don't know what would be a good place and scenario for them to meet again, and, as I said, I really don't like happy endings. If any of you have an idea, feel free to e-mail me and I'll see what I can do.

Words cannot describe how grateful I am to everyone who enjoyed my story. So I won't even try. All I have to sa to you wonderful, amazing people is:

Thank you so much.

My Gaara of the Sand 2006


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